The Mental Health Service Users Association – Ethiopia (MHSUA) brings together blogs, artwork, and a video that reflects the everyday realities of people with psychosocial disabilities. These are lived experiences of exclusion, resilience, and the ongoing struggle for dignity and belonging, in the face of coercive practices and climate change....

By Mental Health Service Users Association – Ethiopia (MHSUA) When the Rains Forgot Us The land used to answer him. When Abdi pressed his feet into the soil each morning, he knew what kind of day it would be. The ground told him when rain was coming, when to move...

By Mental Health Service Users Association – Ethiopia (MHSUA) I’ve always been someone who struggles in the heat. Hot weather makes me physically sick, dizzy, exhausted, and unable to function properly. I look forward to the cold season. I like the quiet of it, the stillness, the way the air...

For years, Rashida Dange was seen only as a body inside institutions, a woman others decided could not survive outside hospital walls. Her pain, her memories and her desire to live were ignored. What changed her life was not confinement or control, but being listened to and believed. Through Bapu...

Institutionalisation isolates people with psychosocial disabilities, stripping away autonomy and undermining recovery. It’s not just about buildings; it’s about systems and mindsets that remove choice and dignity under the guise of care. That’s why deinstitutionalisation is a critical step toward realising rights and inclusion. It was inspiring to hear from...

As part of the #WhatWENeed 2025 campaign, we are sharing an anonymous blog titled ‘Lost Shadows’, alongside the author’s own words reflecting on their journey and the meaning behind this piece: Sharing my “Lost Shadows” journey, which is a raw reflection as a person given the label of bipolar disorder....

In this #WhatWENeed blog, the Uganda National Self Advocacy Initiative (UNSAI) shows why Organizations of Persons with Psychosocial Disabilities (OPDs) are not just participants but rights-holders with representative legitimacy. When OPDs are excluded from policy spaces—especially in rural contexts, decisions are made about people, not with them. The submission calls...

This #WhatWENeed submission shares insights from Japan’s DIARY Project, a user-driven initiative led by Porque in collaboration with Japan’s National Institute of Mental Health, grounded in the lived experiences of people with psychosocial and developmental disabilities affected by disasters. Importantly, the initiative “Inclusive Disaster Prevention Initiative Based on the Experiences...